How to Lose Weight by Biking
Video Blog
February
26, 2021
How to Lose Weight by Biking
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http://www.sixthreezero.com/blogs/bike-advice/how-to-lose-weight-by-biking
Hi, everyone. Thanks for tuning in I'm Alanna with Sixthreezero. And today, we're going to talk about how to lose weight with your bicycle. We're going to go over why biking is such a great option if you want to lose weight and what exactly you should do for all levels of fitness, whether you're a beginner or if you're more athletic. So, stay tuned.
So, why should you use a bike to lose weight? Well, there are many reasons that make biking such a great option. And the first one is that it's really low impact. So, if you're turned off by running, or if you're worried about putting a lot of pressure on your joints and your knees, especially, biking is going to be a great option for you. You're going to be able to work out longer, go farther distances, and get more of a workout.
Another reason that makes biking so great is that it's good for any fitness level. You can tailor a bike ride to however you want it to be. So, if you want to keep it easy and light, that's up to you, but if you want to make it more intense, that's up to you as well. So, if you're a beginner, it's a great option, you can start slow, or if you're more athletic, you can just jump right into things and make it an intense ride and get maximum calorie burn.
And the third reason that makes biking so great is that it's fun. It gets you outdoors, breathing the fresh air, taking in the Vitamin D from the sun, and you have a scenic route ahead of you. You can switch it up every time you ride. It keeps you from getting bored, so it makes your workout more fun and you can keep going for longer. So, when you're exercising on a bike, you definitely won't be bored. Your ride is really up to you and what your goal is and what you feel comfortable with.
Before you start, my first tip is going to be to log your rides, whether that's with an app on your smartphone or a smartwatch that can track your heart rate and your distance. There are a lot of options. Many will track the incline, speed, distance. So, just find one that you like and make sure to log your rides, that way you can see how you're progressing. You can set goals so that you can continue to advance and reach your ultimate fitness or weight loss goals.
Now, whether you're a beginner or more advanced, you're going to want to start with a warm-up. And I recommend five minutes of light, easy biking, so no hills or inclines, keeping it flat and slow pace. You want to warm up your muscles before you get into more heavy riding. So, if you're a beginner, you're going to want to start off with either time or distance score. And I would recommend 30 minutes of biking to start if that's doable for you. So, keep it flat, go at whatever pace feels comfortable to you and just shoot for 30 minutes of riding at least three times a week to get started. And as you're feeling more and more comfortable on the bike, you can build on that by increasing your speed and distance. And that's why tracking your rides is so important so you can make sure that you keep progressing.
Now, if you're more comfortable on a bike or if riding 30 minutes is easy for you, then the next thing you're going to want to do is add some inclines. So, this is where websites like MapMyRide come in handy. You can look for rides near you and you can see exactly what types of inclines there are. So, just adding a slight incline to your ride, you can keep it at 30 minutes and just add a couple of hills, or you can increase the length, make it shorter with hills. Your goal here is to get your heart rate up and riding uphill is definitely going to do that for you.
Now, another thing you can do, if you don't have hills in your area is to play with your gears. If you turn up the gear to say seven or higher, it's going to make biking harder for you. So, you're going to be peddling more than you would normally at a lower gear, and that will take your heart rate up as well.
So, if you're able to ride for 30 minutes no problem, you've added some hills and you've tackled that too, you're ready to make things a little more challenging. This is where you're going to want to add in intervals. So after your five-minute warmup, you can add in one-minute interval of high-intensity, so say a seven or eight out of 10, and then bring it down back to a two or three for one minute. And just repeat that a few times. You will definitely feel the burn, but know that you are burning a lot of calories and fat. So, you can start off with those one-minute intervals, and then as that becomes more doable for you, you can up it to a two-to-one ratio. So, two minutes of intense riding, and then one minute of rest, and repeat that until you hit about 25 minutes.
That's definitely where an app like MapMyRide, or any kind of interval timer is going to come in handy. You could even do it by distance. So, if you have a long stretch ahead of you, you could use a landmark like a tree or sign and up your intensity until you hit that point and then cycle back at a lower intensity. And just repeat that until you've hit your 25 minutes of exercise before your five-minute cooldown. You could also do this with a hill, use your hill as your interval. So, right up the hill at a high intensity, and then back down to a low leisurely place and back up again, repeat that for the 25 minutes, finish with a cool down.
Of course, stretch afterward, especially focusing on your quads and calves, and there's your workout. You will feel exhausted, but you will feel great. You'll have your endorsements humping, and I'm sure you'll feel really proud of yourself.
So, make sure you track your progress so you can see how you're doing, share it with us, motivate other riders. If you're in our Pedalers group, make sure to post in there. We love to see that. We love to see how everyone is making their lives better with their bikes and getting out there on their bikes. So, make sure to share with us.
So, I am riding the Pave N' Trail. It's a great option. It's light. It has 21 speeds. So, that's a good variation for me, but if you have a single-speed cruiser, that will work. If you have an e-bike, that is also a great option, you can use manual riding versus pedal assist. But if you really want to find the perfect bike for you and your riding goals, you can check out our body fit quiz on the website. The link will be in the description below.
So, whether you're biking for fitness or just for fun, remember it's your journey, your experience. Enjoy the ride.
So, why should you use a bike to lose weight? Well, there are many reasons that make biking such a great option. And the first one is that it's really low impact. So, if you're turned off by running, or if you're worried about putting a lot of pressure on your joints and your knees, especially, biking is going to be a great option for you. You're going to be able to work out longer, go farther distances, and get more of a workout.
Another reason that makes biking so great is that it's good for any fitness level. You can tailor a bike ride to however you want it to be. So, if you want to keep it easy and light, that's up to you, but if you want to make it more intense, that's up to you as well. So, if you're a beginner, it's a great option, you can start slow, or if you're more athletic, you can just jump right into things and make it an intense ride and get maximum calorie burn.
And the third reason that makes biking so great is that it's fun. It gets you outdoors, breathing the fresh air, taking in the Vitamin D from the sun, and you have a scenic route ahead of you. You can switch it up every time you ride. It keeps you from getting bored, so it makes your workout more fun and you can keep going for longer. So, when you're exercising on a bike, you definitely won't be bored. Your ride is really up to you and what your goal is and what you feel comfortable with.
Before you start, my first tip is going to be to log your rides, whether that's with an app on your smartphone or a smartwatch that can track your heart rate and your distance. There are a lot of options. Many will track the incline, speed, distance. So, just find one that you like and make sure to log your rides, that way you can see how you're progressing. You can set goals so that you can continue to advance and reach your ultimate fitness or weight loss goals.
Now, whether you're a beginner or more advanced, you're going to want to start with a warm-up. And I recommend five minutes of light, easy biking, so no hills or inclines, keeping it flat and slow pace. You want to warm up your muscles before you get into more heavy riding. So, if you're a beginner, you're going to want to start off with either time or distance score. And I would recommend 30 minutes of biking to start if that's doable for you. So, keep it flat, go at whatever pace feels comfortable to you and just shoot for 30 minutes of riding at least three times a week to get started. And as you're feeling more and more comfortable on the bike, you can build on that by increasing your speed and distance. And that's why tracking your rides is so important so you can make sure that you keep progressing.
Now, if you're more comfortable on a bike or if riding 30 minutes is easy for you, then the next thing you're going to want to do is add some inclines. So, this is where websites like MapMyRide come in handy. You can look for rides near you and you can see exactly what types of inclines there are. So, just adding a slight incline to your ride, you can keep it at 30 minutes and just add a couple of hills, or you can increase the length, make it shorter with hills. Your goal here is to get your heart rate up and riding uphill is definitely going to do that for you.
Now, another thing you can do, if you don't have hills in your area is to play with your gears. If you turn up the gear to say seven or higher, it's going to make biking harder for you. So, you're going to be peddling more than you would normally at a lower gear, and that will take your heart rate up as well.
So, if you're able to ride for 30 minutes no problem, you've added some hills and you've tackled that too, you're ready to make things a little more challenging. This is where you're going to want to add in intervals. So after your five-minute warmup, you can add in one-minute interval of high-intensity, so say a seven or eight out of 10, and then bring it down back to a two or three for one minute. And just repeat that a few times. You will definitely feel the burn, but know that you are burning a lot of calories and fat. So, you can start off with those one-minute intervals, and then as that becomes more doable for you, you can up it to a two-to-one ratio. So, two minutes of intense riding, and then one minute of rest, and repeat that until you hit about 25 minutes.
That's definitely where an app like MapMyRide, or any kind of interval timer is going to come in handy. You could even do it by distance. So, if you have a long stretch ahead of you, you could use a landmark like a tree or sign and up your intensity until you hit that point and then cycle back at a lower intensity. And just repeat that until you've hit your 25 minutes of exercise before your five-minute cooldown. You could also do this with a hill, use your hill as your interval. So, right up the hill at a high intensity, and then back down to a low leisurely place and back up again, repeat that for the 25 minutes, finish with a cool down.
Of course, stretch afterward, especially focusing on your quads and calves, and there's your workout. You will feel exhausted, but you will feel great. You'll have your endorsements humping, and I'm sure you'll feel really proud of yourself.
So, make sure you track your progress so you can see how you're doing, share it with us, motivate other riders. If you're in our Pedalers group, make sure to post in there. We love to see that. We love to see how everyone is making their lives better with their bikes and getting out there on their bikes. So, make sure to share with us.
So, I am riding the Pave N' Trail. It's a great option. It's light. It has 21 speeds. So, that's a good variation for me, but if you have a single-speed cruiser, that will work. If you have an e-bike, that is also a great option, you can use manual riding versus pedal assist. But if you really want to find the perfect bike for you and your riding goals, you can check out our body fit quiz on the website. The link will be in the description below.
So, whether you're biking for fitness or just for fun, remember it's your journey, your experience. Enjoy the ride.
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